The present invention relates generally to electrical disconnects. More specifically the present invention relates to a mounting arrangement for a disconnect switch assembly within an enclosure for an electrical disconnect.
Non-automatic (manual) electrical disconnects are located near equipment, e.g., motors, compressors, motor controls or other electrically driven machinery. The disconnects serve to electrically isolate the equipment from a source of supply power, by enabling a user to manually actuate a disconnect switch and break the circuit conducting the supply power to the equipment. The disconnects protect a user when working on the equipment during such operations as maintenance or replacement of equipment.
The disconnects comprise a disconnect switch assembly (switch) and related connecting equipment, e.g., wires, lugs and ground terminals, housed within a disconnect enclosure (enclosure). The switches come in a variety of configurations, e.g., toggle type and pull type. The disconnects must meet accepted industry standards, e.g., Underwriters' Laboratory standards or National Electric Code standards, depending on their use.
The enclosures for air-conditioning (AC) disconnects must meet Article 430 of the National Electric Code, one such industry standard. Section I of that article states, "a disconnecting means (disconnect) shall be located in sight from the motor location and the driven machinery location." This standard assures that personnel maintaining the air conditioning or refrigeration equipment have complete control of the disconnect to isolate or reconnect equipment from or to an electrical power source. This prevents the equipment from being reconnected to the power source from a remote location while personnel are working on the equipment without their knowledge. Because industrial air conditioning and refrigeration equipment is often located on roof tops or other outdoor locations, the enclosures must be rain proof and environmentally secure such that the components within the enclosure are able to function properly and safely when exposed to various forms of precipitation during outdoor use.
During production, prior art disconnects are assembled by mounting the disconnect switches within the interior compartment of the enclosures with a plurality of mounting screws. This method of assembly problematically requires that an inventory of the screws be maintained and controlled for this operation. Additionally proper production tooling, e.g., screw guns, must be used. For these reasons the use of screws adds significant cost and labor to the production process. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the number of screws used during assembly.